


All They Wanted Was a Villian (all they had was me)

by Jaylovesthings



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Magic, Arranged Marriage, Assassin Victor Nikiforov, Dark Victor Nikiforov, Don't poke too closely, Don't worry, M/M, No one that you like will die, Soldier Victor Nikiforov, There's some stabbings, This story is full of holes, Very slight magic au, hopefully in a fun way, oh yeah, or is he???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:15:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29440317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaylovesthings/pseuds/Jaylovesthings
Summary: In a race against time (and bandits!), soldier-turned-mercenary Victor engages in a secret and deadly mission. At the behest and threat of his secret patron, will he manage to set his burgeoning feelings for the mysterious Duke's betrothed aside to save his captive cousin, Yuri?
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44
Collections: Chihohohoko 2021: Victor’s 30th birthday exchange





	All They Wanted Was a Villian (all they had was me)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shysweetthing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shysweetthing/gifts).



> Happy Chihohohoko, shysweetthing!

After the war sixty years earlier, by imperial decree, all magic users and bearers had been wiped out. Rounded up, rooted out, and executed with no mercy. Fire mages, Empaths, Necromancers and more all disappeared from the kingdoms surrounding Fodahn, rounded up and executed for high treason. If someone was discovered to have even a spark of magic, that someone would be highly sought after. Officially, these magic users were sought after to be punished for their crimes and treason. Unofficially, if someone were to take the risk to possess and  _ marry _ a secret mage, well, their power in Fodahn would be unparalleled.

\---

Victor stewed at the fire, surrounded by raucous energy and boisterous soldiers. If anyone had cared to notice how he stared instead of ate or stewed instead of trading jabs with the fellows, they didn't care enough to say anything to him. No one ever said anything to Victor. He had been with this particular company for months now, and hadn't made any particular effort to befriend his comrades. They were typical soldiers, Victor thought. Loud, dull, and convinced of their place in the world. Their visions of grandeur and career advancement were both amusing and frightening to him. Most of their lives would end at the point of a sword, the barrel of a musket, or rotting in a jail cell. He hoped the time spent among countrymen, drinking ale in an inn, or warming some wenches' beds would make their short lives worth living.

Victor didn't have any illusions of grandeur about his own future. He would reach the same, tired end. Sooner than them, most likely. Certainly before he would see his cousin Yuri again. Little Yuri, who was a captive of a Duke in all but name. Yuri, who Victor was trying now to save. Yuri, who last year presented as a fire- well. Best not to even think it. Yuri was surrounded by soldiers and the Duke’s men night and day. His foreign assistant, the older Nihonian woman, was probably the only kind face he saw on any given day. Yuri’s fate was just as grim as Victor’s, now. 

The best end Victor could hope for after all this would be a knife while he slept, or a sword to the heart in a fight. A better finish then rotting away in a forgotten Duke's dungeon.

He reached for the letter in his breast pocket for the third time this evening and let the gentle heat from the fire chase away the shadows of the giant forest trees. The heat might be enough to chase away the chill of the damp surrounding, but it wasn't enough to chase the chill of the words away.

_ You've been playing soldier long enough. It's time. _

Victor let his eyes wander across the camp to where the small ring of wagons and liters gathered in a semi-circle. Their separate fire looked larger than the soldier's, but the company seemed smaller. More subdued. His smile was the first thing that caught Victor's eye, when he joined this company three months previous. He wasn't meant to pay him any special attention, but he couldn't help that his gaze traveled to the man more than was strictly necessary to keep an eye on him.

Their cargo. Their charge. The reason why Duke Vasily Ivanov's personal regiment was in this remote corner of Fodahn, moving slowly but resolutely from Nihon toward the Duke's estate in Belegrad.

Katsuki Yuuri. The Duke's betrothed.

His long, demure robe and downcast eyes did nothing to hide the striking man beneath. Victor was not the only soldier who found themselves caught by his presence. Surrounded by Fodahn attendants day and night, the colorful retinue would have made anyone stare. It wasn't any of the attendants that made Victor's heart ache. It was the lovely Yuuri who did that all on his own.

It wasn't just that he was handsome, and he was just that, it was that he seemed to see and feel everything around him differently than anyone Victor had ever known.

The way how, on their third night of their journey, aboard the vessel Dumkrat, Yuuri had stood on deck for hours with his face to the wind, only to retire below deck an instant before the rain began.

The way that he stopped the columns of marching men and women with a firm wave of his hand, strode into the woods, and emerged with a bedraggled and bloody rabbit. The rabbit had been caught in a snare, awaiting its gruesome fate as dinner in a hunter's stewpot.

The way that he sounded the first time he spoke to Victor, two weeks into their slow march.

They had been making camp for the night, Victor laying out his bedroll on the softest patch of ground he could find, when a jumpy brown haired attendant had materialized next to him. "He requires your presence," Maxim had stated with no preamble. There was no question of who "he" was. He was the man they all had been sworn to deliver safely to Belegrad and Victor, intrigued, hurried to present himself. His liter was draped in velvets and soft linens, and the sweet smell of the insect-repelling cedar drifted lazily out. He was seated on the padded bench inside the carriage, book in hand, absentmindedly adjusting the layers of soft blue fabric he had draped across his shoulders. Victor stood at the base of the carriage, a full head shorter than him, and waited for him to speak. When his eyes finally traveled from the book to Victor's face, his eyes widened.

"Your Grace," Victor demurred as he bowed in greeting. The title wasn't required, not yet, but a little flattery never hurt anyone. "What can this humble soldier do for you?"

Not a long moment, the air was still. Victor heard the rasp of clothing shifting as Yuuri leaned closer to him, and he straightened up to meet his gaze. Yuuri had his hand outstretched, and his fingers brushed lightly across Victor's forehead.

"So it's true," Yuuri whispered. His hands dropped to his side as he took in Victor's face. Only, he didn't seem to be looking at Victor. At least, not directly. His gaze seemed to travel past Victor, focused on something...behind him? Around him?

"What is true, Your Grace?" Victor fought the urge to turn his head to look, instead trying his best smile on for size. Yuuri didn't seem to notice. His sharp eyes met Victor's for a moment, then melted away as he turned away to read his book once more.

"What..."

"That will be all, comrade Nikiforov." Maxim, again appearing seemingly out of thin air, smiled widely at Victor. A forceful, if slightly rude, dismissal. Huffing, he turned to walk the short distance to his campsite when he heard a graceful voice chime out behind him.

"Keep the raven sharp, you might need it."

Victor whirled around, but Yuuri was already reaching for the carriage door, shutting and locking it firmly. The assistant just shrugged and, smiling widely, gestured for Victor to leave the company of the Duke's intended.

The way he seemed to  _ know _ things he couldn't possibly know.

Now, a month into their journey, Victor tried and failed to keep the beautiful and mysterious man at arms length. How he knew about the raven-crest dagger laced with hemlock that he keeps hidden in his boot, Victor doesn't know. He always seemed to know exactly when to find Victor alone in the woods, and engage in quiet small talk. Captain Valk seemed to take great delight in assigning Victor to watch after the retinue as they made their way into the small towns and villages they passed along the way.

He didn't mind. Following him into the village to buy small odds and ends, listening to him talk to his attendants of what he would be required to wear in the palace, all of it reminded Victor why he was here in the first place. Why he carried the hidden dagger.

_ Get him out of their hands and into ours. _

He wouldn't let his curiosity about the man deter him from his mission. He didn't need to know how he could both see and  _ see _ the things around himself. He couldn't know what Victor planned, what he intended. No one knew, apart from himself and...well. His fingers brushed against his coat pocket again. The letter was safely nestled in the deepest pocket of his red military coat. There's no way Yuuri could know it was there. Even if he did, it's not like he could read through clothing. Right?

He looked up to see Yuuri looking intently at him. He definitely did not jump. His stare was maddening. Knowing and seeing and kind all at once. Victor felt that he didn't deserve it, knew that he didn't. Yuuri was on his way to become the husband of a Duke and Victor had a dagger and a letter ensuring that the marriage would never happen.

"It's ok, I won't tell." Yuuri hung back from his retainers to walk beside him.

"Won't tell...what?" Victor ignored the way the letter seemed to be burning through to his skin. He didn't know. He couldn't. Yuuri laughed softly, a soft smile lighting up his face. He shook his head, folding his hand into his robes. It seemed that the Duke's betrothed was going to play some cards close to his chest. The attendants continued further and further up the path ahead of them, leaving Victor alone with the man whose mystery confounded and intrigued him. The wisps of his black hair fell in front of his eyes, and Victor couldn't help but wonder how those eyes saw so much. The dirt under their feet made soft crunching sounds as they wandered along the path, talking of small things. There was no way he could see clearly with his head bowed as it was, soft hair falling in front of his eyes.

"Stop."

Victor froze, his hand halfway to Yuuri's face, evidently intending to brush the hair from his eyes. When had he meant to do that? He opened his mouth to apologize, his impropriety unforgivably-

Yuuri's hands grasped firmly onto Victor's coat and shoved them both roughly backward. Victor only had time to cartwheel his hands, trying and failing to hold his balance, when he heard thundering hooves beat across the path. The blur and vague outline of the black horse and cloaked rider flew past at breakneck speed, there and gone in a flash. He hadn't heard it coming, hadn't seen it at all.

He and Yuuri had been directly in its deadly path, if they had continued on the path a moment longer...

Yuuri's attendants gathered him up and clucked around him like mother hens, leading him swiftly along the path, never pausing to give Victor a second glance. He stood and quickly brushed the dirt off himself, hurrying to catch up. If his heartbeat raced, and his breath caught in his throat, well that was from his near disaster. Right?

\---

_ Call it a favor, call it a threat. We both know I don't need to call it either one to ensure your loyalty. _

Back at the camp, Victor continued to worry. The snores of sleeping soldiers around him blended with the quiet sounds of the living forest. The tree was hard against his back, it's rough bark grounding him in the present. He knew what he needed to do. He was just waiting for the right opportunity. He would know it when he saw it. He wasn't delaying because of the mysterious things Yuuri had said to him. He was simply getting to know the man better so the mission was easier. That's all. He thought of Yuri, essentially alone and at the mercy of the Duke's outrageous whims. He would complete his mission here, in order to save his cousin there. The dagger shifted in his boot, its weight an uncomfortable reminder of his duty.

Behind him, a twig snapped and Victor whirled around to see...nothing. Black forest and blacker night. The hand closed on his shoulder and he scrambled to unsheathe his sword.

"Please don't," Yuuri murmured as his shape took form in the moonlight. "It'll wake the others." His hand fell away from Victor's shoulder as he strode into the forest, soft leather boots silently avoiding leaves and branches. As his silhouette faded into the dark, Victor shook himself and followed.

They walked side by side for a time in silence, Victor's hair and side sword radiant in the night, Yuuri radiant with...something. Victor couldn't say why or how, but Yuuri seemed to glow, seemed to beckon the forest to join him in silence. Even the omnipresent owls and the rustle of trees seemed to hush in his wake. The blue-grey of the night seemed to wrap itself around him, the stars themselves making a home in Yuuri's eyes. Victor had never been so charmed.

"Comrade Nikiforov," he started, then trailed off. Yuuri chewed at his lip, opening and closing his mouth, unable to start again.

"Victor," he blurted. "Call me Victor, please." This at least wrestled a smile from Yuuri's serious gaze. He planted his feet and held a hand out in front of himself, extending it to the taller man. Victor felt the magnetic pull, the irresistible urge to reach out, and clasped their hands together.

"This is custom, right? An introduction?" Yuuri gently brought his other hand to enclose Victor's hand in both of his. "Please call me Yuuri, then."

Victor drew a breath and breathed out "Yuuri." Then louder, "Yuuri." He tested the sound of it out loud, sounding much different than whispering it alone in his own thoughts. This was the longest that Yuuri had held his gaze. Victor wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. There would be time for the letter later.

\---

As they spoke in hushed voices to each other, he felt the air shift beside his ear before he heard the noise. The shaft of the black arrow embedded itself into the tree between Victor and Yuuri. As fast as Victor's instincts were, Yuuri's appeared to be faster. Before he could take his next breath, Yuuri had whirled behind the tree and crouched low. Cries of alarm from the camp and the metallic rasp of swords being drawn began to fill the air.

Bandits.  _ This is my chance _ , Victor thought, this is what he’d been waiting for.

_ Don't let him suspect. Don't fail. _

His eyes began to track the moving shadows as they moved through the forest. He counted six, no, seven shapes moving toward their position. More noise rose up from the camp a short ways away, but that was irrelevant now. Victor couldn't spare a single thought to his "fellow soldiers." He pressed his back up against the tree, attempting to meld with the shadows. The red of his coat was a dead give away, he realized. Moving quickly, and as quietly as he could manage, Victor stripped to the plain black shirt he wore under the military jacket. It felt more honest to be rid of the uniform anyway.

Sliding the thin dagger from his boot, he crept to the side until he could just make out a hunched shape in front of him. The man grunted as he fell, but otherwise didn't make a noise. He couldn't, with his throat expertly cut as it was. Two more fell to the dagger as Victor spun in and out of the tree line. He kept the tree that Yuuri was hiding behind in his sight, and could just make out the soft leather boot poking out from behind it.

He needed to get out of here. He needed to take care of the Duke's consort- he couldn't afford to think of him as Yuuri anymore- and get out of here. This was an opportunity, if he played his cards right. He could fulfill his part of the bargain, keep his cousin safe, and pin it all on someone else.

Heavy boots sounded behind and he swung around, too late, to see the woman in black as she jabbed the sword in his direction. Pain bloomed from his shoulder as the tip drove into his flesh.

Shit.

He was suddenly looking up at her, and when had he fallen to his knees? Her leering smile froze in place, and the sword fell from her grasp. Victor scrambled back, out of the way, as she fell forward, an arrow sprouting from her back. Red fletching. Fodahn colors. The soldiers were fighting back.

Good, Victor thought, though he wasn't planning on sticking around long enough to help them win this skirmish. Blood oozed from his wound, but he couldn't let that stop him now. He needed to get to-

"Victor!"

That was Yuuri's voice. He spun around in time to see Yuuri being hauled away by two men draped in black. Their caps were worn down low, but Victor could make out the grizzled beard on one face and battle scars across the cheek of the other. Yuuri's usually placid face was now contorted with rage as he struggled. He swung one foot wide and connected with the groin of scar face.

"Bastard!" Scar face doubled in agony, as Beard backhanded Yuuri. He crumpled to the ground and was promptly dragged off, away from the racket and chaos of the fight. Panic rose in Victor and he quickly lost sight of them.

\---

A horse. I need to find a horse. Victor's head swam as he stumbled over his bedroll. His arm shot out to steady himself on the trunk of the tree. He had managed to stagger his way back to the camp as silvery metal flashed out of the corner of his eye. He swung his dagger to deflect the blow, and landed a kick on the man's thigh. The black clad man stumbled back, and Victor frantically pulled his sword from underneath his pack. The full sized blade was heavy and awkward in his grip, as he clutched it in his left hand. The lighter dagger was gripped tightly in his right as rivulets of blood trailing down made his grasp slippery. I need to end this quickly, he thought, as the man staggered back up and found his balance once more. He lunged forward, full weight coming to bear, as Victor danced out of his way. He whirled around, and their blades met again. Although their eyes met at the same height, this brute had considerable weight and muscle on Victor.

Metal clashed as they struck, one blow after another. It wasn't long before Victor could feel his already low energy being sapped away. He parried the man again, and began to notice a pattern to his strikes.

Slash, slash, parry, lunge.

If he was very careful, if he moved just so...

Slash, slash, parry- Victor let the man close the distance as he lunged. Triumph flashed in the man's eyes as the tip of the sword connected just under Victor's shoulder. His already injured shoulder. Victor gritted his teeth and PUSHED the blade further in. Further in. Just a bit further. When he could smell the rotten stench of sweat and piss, could see the red rims of his eyes, Victor rammed the dagger in the man's stomach and heaved it upwards. Using the last of his strength, Victor wormed his leg between their bodies and shoved the man yet again. This time he didn't get back up.

Shaking, and more than a little dizzy, Victor dropped to his knees, feeling for his bedroll. I must hurry. There isn't much time. He frantically tore strips from his thin blanket, haphazardly wrapping his shoulder. His eyes stung from the pain and tears as he tied the cloth tightly around himself. It would have to do for now. he stumbled toward the sound of panicked horses. Wild eyed and stomping madly, three brown mares had managed to remain tied to their posts near the far end of the camp. He untied the thin leather and lead the horse a short ways away from the fires and shouting. She was nervous, but all too happy to be moving in this direction, prancing and skittering as she was lead away. There was only one way they could have taken Yuuri, through the camp to the main road. The forest was too dense and dark for a mounted rider to maintain any sort of speed without throwing the rider, laming the horse, or worse. Victor mounted and raised his heels to spur his mount into action. A gloved hand clamped onto the horse's tack, bearing its neck around and stopping the horse's movement as surely as if it had remained tethered to the post.

"Captain Valk." Victor sat as straight as his injury would allow, and held his gaze firmly. "Tell me which way they went."

The leather creaked tighter in the man's grip. "Nikiforov. He's long gone. The Duke won't forget our failure." Implication hung heavy in the air between them. The Duke won't forget anyone's part in this. Anyone's. Victor had known this going in, had known that his life was forfeit no matter the outcome. However the dice shook out, he hadn't intended for Yuuri to reach the Duke.

"I have to try." His cousin's life depended on it. Victor's too, now. His fate was tied up in all the rest, like it or not. He wouldn't be allowed to fade into the shadows. Not this time. Yuuri's life was...

Not in his hands quite yet.

The mare stamped its feet with impatience and fear, and Victor eased the captains hands off the reins. "Captain. I have served faithfully, I have never let you down. I will bring him back," Victor lied, "if you tell me which way they rode."

Their eyes locked for a long second, or perhaps long minutes, Victor couldn't say. Please let him believe, he pleaded to himself, and the captain eased his hand off the mare. He pointed one gloved hand south, and the other thrust a half empty arrow quiver into the saddle bag behind Victor. He swung the bow off his back and into Victor's waiting hands.

"The musket isn't accurate enough," he growled as his eyes slid away from Victor's. "You'll need this. Don't miss."

_ Don't fail. _

Victor didn't intent to miss.

\---

Dark. Wind. Hoof beats. Pain.

He rode for what seemed like hours, but could only have been minutes. The mare wasn't blown yet, but sweat streaked her body and spittle frothed at her muzzle. What she lacked in size, she was more than making up for in stamina. He prayed it would be enough. Victor urged her for more speed, and on they thundered.

He could just make out the dark shape in front of him as it emerged from the shadow and mist.

Yuuri.

Although the hulking man took up most of the space on the galloping horse, Victor could make out Yuuri's shoulder and leg as he rode in front of the man. Victor raised the bow and notched an arrow. Taking aim, he gave the horse her head and trusted that she would find the smoothest path ahead. Just as he evened out his breath, prepared to take his shot, shouts rang out from the path behind him.

"Ahead! We're gaining on him, ride on!"

"Faster, you mangy thing!"

Victor whipped the bow around and loosed the shot. The first of two riders fell without a sound and the riderless horse veered left, into the deep forest. Heeling his own mount onward, Victor's heart sank as he fumbled in the quiver. Two targets and only one arrow.

The second arrow loosed, imbedding itself easily into the man's back. A cry rang out above the noise of trampling hooves, and Victor's eyes locked onto his target.

Hold on. Don't fall. Don't take him down with you!

The rider fell, leaving a wide eyed Duke's consort clinging to the huge steed, hair and cloak whipping wildly. Victor caught the reins easily and swung onto the back of the taller horse.

"Yuuri," he breathed into his hair, arm firmly wrapping around the smaller man, as he heeled the horse back into a gallop. "Take the reins. Stay close to me." He could feel, more than see, Yuuri's smile break across his face. His head tipped back in a laugh as a glow began to emanate from within him.

"Your hair," Victor murmured, "it's glowing...you're glowing. What is this?"

"You hadn't figured it out by now?" Yuuri's voice was jubilant, despite the threat of the second horse gaining on them. "Empathy. I'm an Empath mage. I thought for sure you knew clear back on the ship!" Victor was stunned as he thought back on the oddities that drew him to Yuuri in the first place. It made sense now, why the Duke was so desperate for him in the first place, but...

"I thought the Empaths were wiped out years ago."

"It's what we wanted you to think. We worked hard at the deception. I got found out." Breathless as he spoke, Yuuri wove his fingers deep into the stallion's mane, transferring the star-bitten glow to the animal, infusing it with light and energy. "You really didn't know? I thought I was so obvious at the camp. One touch and I knew what you were about. I've been waiting for you to take me away since then." The implied /what took you so long/ didn't need to be said aloud.

It was Victor's turn to laugh now. His quiet agony seemed ridiculous now, turned on its head in an instant. They could have been long gone ages ago, could have melted into the night never to be heard from again. He could do it, he realized. He, with Yuuri's help, could save them all. An unmarked grave after the firing squad wasn't his future. His cousin, and Yuuri in his arms, both safe. Minako, a captive of the Duke for many years, who had tried her best to keep little Yuri safe. He could save them all.

Yuuri's light infused the horse, encompassing all three of them with energy and weightlessness. Victor tightened his grip around Yuuri, and couldn't feel the wound in his shoulder at all now. The horse's speed increased dramatically, leaving the second rider flagging behind them, until they couldn't see him anymore. Victor took the raven crested dagger in his grip and hurled it into the night. He didn't think he would need it anymore. They were gone, they couldn't be caught, and they wouldn't return.

\---

At the soldier's camp, the scent of burning wood combined with the choking scent of burning flesh. The defeated bandits bodies and equipment were piled in a mass grave. No one noticed the red military jacket that had been thrown onto the pyre. No one saw the letter burnt to ashes in the breast pocket. No one read the words-

_ Vitya, _

_ You've been playing soldier long enough. It's time. Call it a favor, call it a threat. We both know I don't need to call it either one to ensure your loyalty. _

_ Get him out of their hands and into ours. _

_ I've made my preparations here, I am ready to take action as soon as you send word. _

_ Don't let him suspect. Don't fail. _

_ His life and the life of your cousin depends on it. I don't need to say more. _

_ -Minako _

**Author's Note:**

> It can be assumed that Victor successfully runs away with Yuuri, Minako successfully fulfills her part of the bargain and escapes with Yuri P in exchange for Yuuri K's safe return to his family, and they all live happily ever after!
> 
> Come yell about YOI with me on twitter! @jaylovesthings


End file.
